B
Figure of Haitian Vodou
Baron Samedi — death, laughing.
The dandy of the cemetery: obscene, hilarious, and final — and therefore the healer of last resort, since death must consent to every cure.
Names & titlesBaron Samedi; the Gede
DomainDeath, and the jokes told at its expense
Depicted asTop hat, dark glasses with one lens, cigar — the dandy of the cemetery
StandingMaster of the dead; the last resort healer, since he decides who dies
Understanding it — context, not catechism: how this passage is held
Baron Samedi and the Gede family rule the dead and are outrageously funny about it: top hat and dark glasses with a lens missing, rum infused with hot peppers, obscene jokes and dancing at the cemetery gate. The theology behind the comedy is serious — because Baron controls the boundary of death, he is the healer of last resort, since no one can die unless he digs the grave, and the Gede festival in November is Haiti's most exuberant religious occasion.
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